Cable conveyor button or block



Patented Dec. 23, 1947 CABLE CONVEYOR BUTTONOR BLOCK Cyril R. Rogers, Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada,

assignor to Provincial Paper Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a corporation of the Province of Ontario Application November 7, 1945, Serial No. 627,111

In Canada September 21, 1944 In the handling of material of various kinds, such as pulpwood, logs, wood blocks, rock, gravel and the like, it is usual to convey the material along a stationary trough or track by means of a rope or cable, the latter having. thereon a plurality of buttons or attachments which travel with the rope or cable and engage the material to be conveyed to move the latter along the trough or track.

The cable is moved along the trough or track by motive power transmitted to the cable through sheaves, the cable being made endless similar to a power transmission belt.

The buttons.or attachments are subject to considerable wear. and therefore often have to be replaced, and in View of their construction have not only to be replaced as a whole, but are also very troublesome to apply and hold in place.

The object of my present invention is to devise a button which will avoid the use of clamping bolts and nuts, which will give increased Wearing surface without increase in weight, in which only the wearing surfaces need be replaced, and in which the time required for replacement is considerably reduced.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a trough and cable with my improved button applied thereto and a tool for positioning and removing the button;

Fig. 2 is a an enlarged side elevation of the button;

Fig. 3 an enlarged plan view of the button,

Fig. 4 an enlarged end elevation of the button.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diierent figures.

A indicates part of a conveyor trough, B the conveyor cable and C the button or attachment, and D a, tool for use in removing or applying a button.

The button C is preferably cylindrical in form and comprises a pair of body members I and 2 which are shaped to form between them a hole'3 for the cable B. The member I is formed with lugs 4' and 4, while the member 2 is formed with correspondingly shaped recesses 5 and 5' to receive said lugs and prevent relative endwise movement between said members I and 2.

A part of the cable passage 3 in the member I is formed with a concave recess 6, while in the part of the cable passage 3 in the member 2 is formed a convex projection 'I, the purpose being to cause a bending or crimping of the cable B 3 Claims. (Cl. 198-176) 2 which tends to resist endwise movement of the button on the cable.

The body members I and 2 are held in cable engaging position by clamping members 8 and 9, body member I being provided with Wedge shaped longitudinal ribs l and Ie at each side thereof and body member 2 being provided with complementary wedge shaped longitudinal ribs Ib and Id at each side thereof. Respective sides II and I2 of ribs Ic and Ie of member I are longitudinally inclined in one direction and respective sides I3 and I4 of ribs Ila and I d of member 2 are longitudinally inclined in a diverging direction to providev a wedge-shapedstructure between each pair of the opposed sides Hand I3 and I2 and I4, Clamping members 8 and 9 are provided with complementary wedge-shaped recesses I5 and I6 each adapted to engage and embrace a corresponding pair of ribs II andv|3 or I2 and I4.

By moving the clamping sections in one direction, the co-operating inclined or wedging surfaces on the body sections and clamping members tend to increase the grip of the body sections on the cable, while movement in the reverse direction tends to release the grip.

The body sections I and 2 are preferably provided with heads Ia and 2' which may be of complementary semi-cylindrical shape. Such heads limit the longitudinal movement of the clamping members with respect to the body members and constitute protective abutments therefor. If a cable, having the button described mounted thereon, is drawn in a direction wherein the heads Ia and 2a constitute the leading surface of the button, such heads will protect the clamping members from impact with material being conveyed or other objects to prevent accidental dislodgment thereof from the body members. If the cable is drawn in the opposite direction, wherein the exposed ends of the clamping members constitute a portion of the leading surface of the button, the heads on engagement with the inner ends of the clamping members, will prevent further longitudinal movement thereof despite impact with conveyed material or other objects.

To facilitate positioning and removal of the button a special tool such as D may be provided. This is in the form of a, vise having a pointed projection II I on one of the jaws II2 adapted to project into a notch I0 in one of the body sections, while through the other jaw H3 is threaded a screw I I 4 the point I I 5 of which engages in a similar notch II in the other body section. The screw is provided with a suitable handle IIB for operating purposes. By tightening down on the screw the body parts may be held in place while the clamping members are removed or replaced.

It will be seen that the button employs no bolts or nuts. It will also be seen that most of the wear is taken by the wearing or clamping members 8 5 and 9 and theseemay berveryzeasily removedand replaced..whenrnecessary;

What I claim is:

1. A material-conveying block for attachments'v to conveyor cables, said block having Va substantially uninterrupted outer surfaceeand-*compris ing a body having two complementary-parts, said parts having meeting facesslongitudinally lre: cessed to receive a, cable, eachrpaiathavnmat each;y side adjacent the meeting face a longitudinal 15 tapered rib undercut at thesderemote from the... meeting face, and a radially 'extending portion between the ribs, said radially extending portion having a minor face constituting a poriiionaof said outer surface ofthe body, and a pair of 20 clamping emb erseeach,l having agroove ftherein shaped to receive one of therribson one body partandstheadiacent rib 1on1-,the athen-body part, saidclampingmembers `having Guten faces constitutingarmajor--portiom of. said outer, surface-of 25 thenbodlff-V 2.J Afmaterialvconveyingblock yfor attachment tofconveyon ,cables, saidsxblockshaving a substantialiy .cylindrical outer :surface andY comprising a bedy=having.twoecomplementany pants, said parts 30 having gmeeting,faceszzlongitudinally recessed to receive Y, arca-ble; eaoh-y part,.having jat. each side adjacent fthefmeeting. face a.-longi tudinal :tapered rib-:undercut rat .theside f-remote lfrom the meet .inggfacaaand ar radiallyfextendingmorton be. 35

tween the ribs, said radially extending portion having plane side surfaces and a curved outer face constituting a minor portion of said cylindrical outer surface of the body, and a pair of clamping members each having a groove therein shapedr=toreceive oneeof'thle-firibsnonI one body part andthe adjacent ribcn: the other `body part, said clamping members having inner faces engaging said plane vside surfaces of the body parts andouter curved faces constituting the major portionofv said'cylindrical outer surface of the body.

3.,Agmaterialeconveying block as defined in claimssZneachitsaidjbody part having a substantially semiefcylindrical head portion, said head pprtipnsverlyingthe end surfaces of the clampinggmembers and being engageable thereby to limit movement thereof with respect to the body parts...

CYRIL R. ROGERS.

REFERENBESQ-CITED; .f

Theffoliowing :references :are fofrecord in the filelof this patent:

Number f Name@ Date 581,853 l EaknS; May 4, 1897 624,770 Eibee May 9,' 1899 810,149# Horst" Jan. 16, 1906 870,003.'l Wl1sorr:\ Nov. 5, 190'? 965,739* Penglase Ju1y 26, 1910 1,146,801 Klein et al. July 20, 1915 1,801,261Y Bailey; Apr. 21,v 1931 `2,193,530 Cottengim: Mar.; 12,1940 

